Tea and milk, no sugar

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Yesterday Stonecot and I went for a nice little walk (all 11 miles of it, yes).

We saw billowing clouds of the kind that would have made Constable gibber and reach for his paintbox, and pretty little bullocks whose beauty was enhanced greatly by the fact that they were the other side of the fence.

I do not have many photographs owing to a miscalculation about the lifespan of various camera batteries, but halfway along our walk, we came to a very pretty village called Chalfont St Giles.

It is well-kempt. It has an ancient flint church. It an estate agent's (of course). It has trendy boutiques from which to buy ladylike clothing. It has an art gallery. It has at least four pubs, but we were sort of avoiding pubs owing to having five or six miles to walk to get home. We did however fancy a cup of tea. There was one cafe and it was open. So there we were, ensconced outside the cafe in a stiffish breeze. The waitress brought out our tea (coffee for her) and eventually our cakes. Lemon meringue for Wossname, coffee and walnut for me.

My tea was loose leaf tea (none of what Aldebaranian calls mouse on a string) in this place. Real loose leaf tea with a strainer in a little metal cup thingy to stand it in. I was delighted, even in England you don't get this set up too often. I picked up the strainer and started pouring the tea through it, not into the white china cup I'd been given, but into the stand, was was about the size of an eggcup.

I watched myself do this.

Of course, it very quickly started overflowing, straight through the trendy metal basketwork table and on to my leg.

I can report that the tea was boiling hot.

I said something along the lines of 'Aaagh' and pulled my jogging pants away from my leg hurriedly, till the tea had cooled down. Wossname and I looked at each other and tried to find an explanation for why I'd done this and the only one we could find was 'senior moment' so senior moment it is. I actually OWN a teastrainer with stand like the one in the cafe at home, and use it, so it's not as if I mistook its purpose.

At this moment the playful little breeze sent an eddy underneath the laminated plastic menu on the table, flipping it up and sending the mini milkjug that was sitting on it flying and the milk landed on my leg. All of it.

I looked at Stonecot in speechless misery.

What the what? What? What? What had I done to deserve this? I now looked as though I had had a little accident. The fact that the waitress came out and kindly offered me a napkin (I declined) and Stonecot explained to her that it really wasn't my fault only made me even more embarrassed.

I'm pleased to say that the rest of the walk was delightful and we plan to revisit the very beautiful wood we found later on, but there's no way I'm showing my face in that cafe again.

I don't even take milk in my tea, I drink it commando!

PS I wish to make it clear that commando wasn't my solution to the liquid jogging pants problem.

NEWME602
I am stelathly reading this at work. I am also cackling like an idiot because you are so funny. I am sure it wasn't funny at the time but I commend you for not going full commando.1777 days ago

CJYOUCANDOIT
I love your walks-- Spilled tea and all. I am not able to go on walks right now but I love to walk. Thank you for sharing. I hope you did not get all blistered from your spill.1783 days ago

WANNABUNNY
Great story, thanks for sharing. You are not alone! My last visit to Scotland I went to a cafe and not thinking of the wind took my latte out on the patio. I opened the door and the had all of the froth on top of my coffee hit me in the face. The great part was it was a glass door and everyone was watching the "stupid tourist". Needless to say I was to embarrassed to take my cup back inside. 1785 days ago

BMCKEOW1
Love the pictures. Oh you poor thing spilling on yourself, we've all been there. It's usually something silly like that too. Least you still had a good time and didn't let it get you down. 1785 days ago

PATRICIAANN46
I wish that you didn't live "Across The Pond".............it would be so much fun to go on one of your walks............and I would fit right in as I have several Senior Moments/day!!! Thanks for the entertaining blog........ 1786 days ago